Bern Boyle

Bern curated the Photomaton show at the Pyramid Arts Center in Rochester New York (11/20/87 - 1/2/88). From the Photomaton gallery guide:

"Beginning on New Year's Day, 1986, I began a year-long project of making at least one photo booth picture each day. It was largely in response to the AIDS epidemic. Living in New York City, I had been seeing friends and acquaintances suddenly dying before their time. These tragedies, and my mother's terminal illess, made me confront my own mortality, as I realized that this bell could suddenly toll for me. Documenting my life became an obsession. Since I didn't have any video equipment, the photo booth seemed to be the way to go. Surprisingly, they are almost everywhere. From Hollywood and Vine to the Eiffel Tower, I found one whenever I needed it. I've been an artist/photographer for almost 15 years and alternative processes have always fascinated me. I like work that's based in reality but that isn't humdrum."

Bern Boyle first encountered the photobooth at a grade-school picnic at Pennsylvania's Willowgrove Amusement Park ("Life is a lark at Willowgrove Park"). His work includes graphics, postcards, video, photography, xerography and film. His art has been exhibited at the Cooper Hewitt Museum, Gracie Mansion Gallery and Club 57, as well as at galleries in California, Spain, and Mexico. He appeared opposite George Kuchar in Curt McDowell's underground film classic "Thundercrack," He has curated numerous shows including "The North American Coastal New Wave" at the Foro de Arte Contemporaneo, Mexico City; "Mexican Illustrators: 1920-1950" at the Anglo-Mexican Institute of Culture, Mexico City; "The History of Books for the Blind" at The Catholic Center, New York City; and "Booth: Photo booth Work by Herman Costa" at St. Mark's Graphics, New York City. He received his B.A. from Villanova University and his M,A, in Teaching English from Hunter College. In 1988, he will receive his M.A. in Museum Studies from The City College of New York.